If... the student's viewpoint

I have been reading a book of provocative questions with the intriguing title of "If- Questions for the game of life.' by Mcfarlane & Saywell. (ISBN 0-679-44535-8). It made me think further about planting seeds in the minds of gifted students through promoting discussion of provocative questions requiring answers based on the higher order thinking strategies of analysing and evaluating and having some fun in the process.

• If you could change just one thing about school, what would it be and why?

Student Responses (A group of year 5 special abilities students... 8 in total)
I would have hard challenges for kids to do if they want to. They would be optional and you could choose when to work on them. You could have a challenge for older kids and one for younger kids.Or a hard one and an easier version instead of it being age related. Not just stuff that you could look up on the internet but things that made you really think so that kids could make a difference for something.
Can you give me an example?
Maybe that could be the first challenge! (grinning).

* I would let the kids elect a student to be in charge for maybe an hour to try out their leadership skills and then we would all talk about how it went and what we would like to change next time. It would be like... you know, taking a walk in someone else's shoes.

* I would like to have people who are experts come and just work with the kids who want to learn more about what you need to know to be able to do their jobs. It would be good if the kids could choose who they would like to come.

* I would like to have more discussions like this where we can talk about things and we don't have to write everything down. And it would be good if we could try some of the ideas out.

So we did. Yesterday. We voted on which idea to try out first. Having a student in charge for an hour won. We discussed aims and expectations. Students who volunteered their names were then given a minute each to 'sell' themselves and to explain how they would use the time. (The only perameters being that the time was to be learning focussed and that there was a plan so that the group had success criteria to measure themselves against).  A 'blind vote' gave us the result and that student now has a week to prepare. We are all looking forward to the outcome.
The interesting thing is that any of these suggestions could be implemented.

Let's make an impact !

 

 To fly with the winds of change you must rise above
the old ways of gravity pulling you back.
Elaine Le Sueur

'A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has  song.' (Maya Angelou). If you have been following the NZ Gifted Awareness blog for the past few days then you will have noticed a range of songs. The issue that binds them all together as birds of a feather is that of raising/ teaching/ living with the gifted. The question that continues to intrigue me is ... which is the song that will inspire you to action?
What if you feel that you haven't heard it yet ?
What else would you need to know?
What will you do to find out? (www.tki.org.nz is the portal for education issues in New Zealand. You can join the social networking on the gifted kete to communicate with others in this area )

Awareness is just the first step to change. It needs to be followed by acceptance and action to make an impact that will result in positive changes for our able students. Giftedness is simply a descriptor not a judgment. Small actions can lead to big change over time. It is time to think about what we will do that can make an impact tomorrow, and follow it up with ... and what else? It would be a great pity if there weren't  a  number of new shifts from awareness to action at least by the time that the 2014 blog tour
gets underway.

If you could do one thing today to make the world a better place for our gifted students, what would it be?
My own resolution is to share ideas for teachers of gifted students in regular classrooms on my blog.
What is yours?

Idea for today ...

HOT SEATING

This is an activity that develops questioning skills.

It is based on Bloom’s taxonomy.

STEPS :

1. Select an element from the topic / theme being studied.

2. A  volunteer is asked to assume the role of expert and sit in the ‘hot seat’ in front of the group.

3. A panel of questioners is selected (you need one questioner from each level of the taxonomy.) Each member of the panel is given a level of the taxonomy and is required to formulate a question from that level. (allow time for this to be done)

4. Questions are put to the ‘expert’ in turn who then responds

Planting seeds

Don't judge each day by the harvest that you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Experience has taught me that many gifted students love to talk when they are grouped with other like minds. Quotations are a wonderful means of discussion inspiration when dealing with philosophical issues in thinking beyond the lines. Quotations about thematic concepts abound. Once the idea has been intoduced I hand the task over to the students. My current gifted students love to create their own quotation dice relating to  themes of books that they have read. We are slowly building up a collection.An interesting side effect is that it promotes discussion about which quotations are the most useful to include to promote the concept. The activity has proved to be both educational and fun. This example relates to change...

Quotation Cube

 Making your own...

Create a cube with your favourite quotations relating to the topic on each face.

Work with someone else to toss the die and use it as a discussion starter.

Do you agree/ disagree ?

How does this relate to your own life?
What could you do to make a difference?

The Power of Words



A good book lets you peel the layers like an onion.

When I think about fiction authors who use social commentary to raise awareness about issues relating to giftedness, I am grateful for writers such as Stephanie Tolan ('Surviving the Applewhites.' a book about the challenges of a homeschooling family) because such a book provides food for thought for adults and children alike.    

Researchers have found that students grouped together by ability for reading instruction are much more likely to increase their understanding and appreciation of literature so the reflection for today is to think about ways to provide reading challenge for gifted readers within the regular classroom when there are one or two who stand out and need to be exposed to ideas and themes at a rate that is appropriate to the level of ability. . Many  modern sophisticated picture books are particularly suited to gifted students because of the layers of meaning and interpretation that they offer.

The 3 Level Reading Guide is a useful literacy strategy in getting students to think about the content. For young students you can use pictures in place of text. This example uses a picture from a child's colouring in book.

3 LEVEL GUIDE PICTURE ACTIVITIES FOR JUNIORS

SOURCE :  BOATING

LEVEL #1 (seeing what is THERE)

Decide whether or not these statements are true or false and explain your reasons for your answer.

·       There are eight seagulls in the picture

·       All the lifebuoys on the boats are red and white.

·       The boats are floating

·       There are 22 legs in the picture

LEVEL #2 (making inferences from the picture)

Decide whether or not these statements could be true or false and give your reasons for your answer

·       The tide is IN.

·       The boat is coming in to dock.

·       The weather is not good in the picture

·       The birds are seagulls

NB : Children may have a range of response  BUT they need to be able to justify their responses.

LEVEL #3 (thinking beyond the picture)

Decide whether or not you agree or disagree with the following statement/s and then be ready to support your view or change your mind.

New Zealand has rules about the number of fish from different species that you are allowed to catch. Other countries allow fishermen to catch as many as they can. What do you think ? Explain why you think that way.

Level 1 is reading the lines, seeing what is there and being able to defend your thinking by identifying the text or the illustration that supports your stance. (All students)
Level 2 relates to reading between the lines and making inferences from the text and the illustrations.(Harder to do and provides medium challenge). Students need to be able to defend their opinions and change if the evidence is contrary or insufficient. 
Level 3 looks at reading beyond the lines and is ideal for gifted readers who are able to identify themes and relate them to their deeper knowledge and understanding. Williams' teaching strategies such as analogy and paradox are particularly useful at this level when deciding on activities to show the understanding. Below is an example of planning using Shaun Tan's 'The Red Tree', sophisticated picture book.

TOPIC : The Red Tree                                                                     Age 10+

PARADOX	Every cloud has a silver lining. Demonstrate this from personal experience
ATTRIBUTE LISTING	List attributes of the world as the girl sees it. List attributes of her imagined place.
ANALOGY	Make a venn diagram to show the similarities and differences of the imagined world to the real world.
DISCREPANCY	If you were the girl’s inner voice, what would you be telling her?
PROVOCATIVE QUESTION	Life can be as exciting or as boring as you wish it to be. What is your view of life ?
EXAMPLES OF CHANGE	Rewrite the end of the story to create a different outcome
SKILLS OF SEARCH	How do you react when faced with a day that starts out badly ? Roleplay another scenario that you have faced within the last few days.
TOLEREANCE FOR AMBIGUITY	Everybody’s day starts differently. What events would have a significant impact on a day ?
INTUITIVE EXPRESSION	Create a line graph that shows the storyline and demonstrates the story climax.

Here's another for upper elementary level students...

How did we get the alphabet?

Start with this article online...

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/alphabet2.htm

Decide if each of these statements is accurate. Find evidence to support your view. (this is reading literally). Discuss your responses with others.

The ancient Egyptians used symbols that represented sounds.

Paper has been around for 1,900 years.

Shorthand was invented by an Italian.

Decide if each of these statements is accurate. Find evidence to support your view. (this is interpreting text).

Middle English words were a combination of sounds from ancient civilisations.

The reason that some letters are discontinued is because the sounds they represent are confusing.

Based on your understanding, explain what the text has challenged you to think about, or taught or shown you. (this is reading beyond the text)

Y is a letter that is not likely to be replaced.

or

The internet will change the alphabet in the future.

Choose one or other of the two statements to comment on. What do you think? Explain the reason for your answer. Be prepared to support your view or change your mind in the face of new information.

Hope some of these ideas are helpful. I've added a list of sophisticated picture books for reference.
Elaine

Picture Books for Gifted Readers 

TITLE	PUB Date, ISBN no	AUTHOR	PUBLISHER
A Present from the Past	2006 1-86943-744-6	Jennifter Beck & Lindy Fisher	Scholastic
Billy	2006 0-473-11144-6	Kate de Goldi & Jacqui Colley	Trapeze
Blue	2004 1-84270-436-2	Philippe Duppasquier	Anderson Press, London
Camille and the Sunflowers	1994 0-7112-2156-1	Laurence Anholt	Lincoln
Cinderlily	2003 1-84428-721-1	David Ellwand & Christine Tagg	Walker books
Clubs	2004 0-476-00912-x	Kate de Goldi & Jacqui Colley	Trapeze
Dan’s angel	2003 0-7112-1885-4	Alexander Stugis & Lauren Child	Lincoln
Degas and the Little dancer	1996 0-7112-2157-x	Laurence Anholt	Frances Lincoln
Eloise	2000 0-743-48976-4	Kay Thompson	Simon & Schuster
Enigma	2008 978-0-670-07201-9	Graeme Base	Viking
How to live Firever	1998 0-09-946181-1	Colin Thompson	Red Fox
Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent	2004 0-340-87788-x	Laurn Child	Hodder Headline
Leonardo and the Flying Boy	2000 0-7112-2132-4	Laurence Anholt	Lincoln
Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears	2007 978-0-230-01619-4	Emily Gravett	MacMillan Childrens’ books
Lottie, Gallipoli Nurse	1998 / reprint 2003 1-8694-8988-8	John Lockyer	Reed Childrens Books
Memorial	1999 0-7344-0545-6	Gary Crew & Shaun Tan	Thomas Lothian
Mr William Shakespeare’s plays	1998 978-0-7445-6946-9	Marcia Williams	Walker Books
My Mother’s Eyes	2009 9-780-7344-1089-4	Mark Wilson	Lothian
Picasso and the girl with the ponytail	1998 0-7112-1177-9	Laurence Anholt	Lincoln
Q is for Question	2009 978-1-84694-183-2	Tiffany Poirier	O books John Hunt Pub, UK
Revolting rhymes	1982 0-14-056824-7	Roald Dahl	Puffin
Scene of the Crime	2008 978-0-7534-6110-5	Malcolm Rose	Kingfisher Books
So you want to be an inventor ?	2002 0-14-240460-8	Judith St George	Penguin Books
Squids will be squids	1998 0-14-056523-x	Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith	Puffin
Tales from Outer Suburbia	2008 978-1-74114-917-3	Shaun Tan	Allen & Unwin
The Arrival	2006 978-0-7344-0694-1	Shaun Tan	Lothian Books
The Bantam and the Soldier	1997 1-86943-393-9	Jennifer Beck & Robyn Belton	Scholastic
The Big little book of Happy Sadness	2008 978-1-74166-257-3	Colin Thompson	Random House
The Composer is Dead	2009 978-0-06-123627-3	Lemony Snicket	Harper Collins
The Immigrants	2002 0-908783-72-8	Alan Bagnall	Mallinson Rendel
The last Alchemist	1999 0-09-940899-6	Colin Thompson	Red Fox
The last Circus	1998 0-7336-0881-7	Colin Thompson	Hodder Children’s books
The Lost Thing	2001 0-7344-0388-7	Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Orphans of Normandy	2004 0-743-48386-3	Nancy Amis	Pocket books
The paper Bag Prince	1992 0-09-993320-9	Colin Thompson	Red Fox Books
The Rabbits	1998 0-7344-0221-x	John Marsden & Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Shaggy Gully Times	2007 0-7322-8410-4	Jackie French	Harper Collins
The Shape Game	2003 0-552-54696-8	Anthony Browne	Picture Corgi
The Sky Soldiers	2005 1-86948-536-x	Glyn Harper	Reed
The Red Tree	2001 0-7433-0539-1	Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Three Fishing Brothers Grimm	2006 0-340-89341-9	Ben Galbraith	Hodder Children’s Books
The Tin Forest	2003 0-86461-549-3	Helen Ward & Wayne Anderson	Koala Books
The True story of the three little pigs	1989 0-14-054451-8	Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith	Puffin
The Vanishing Rainforest	2004 0-7112-2170-7	Richard Platt & Rupert van Wyk	Lincoln
The Viewer	2003	Gary Crew & Shaun Tan	Thomas C.Lothian
The Violin Man	2003 0-7336-1893-6	Colin Thompson	Hodder Children’s books
The Wishing of Biddy Malone	2004 0-14-351993-x	Joy Cowley	Puffin Books
The Wizard, the Ugly and the Book of Shame	2004 174166072	Pablo Bernasconi	Random House
The Wolves in the Walls	2003 0-7475-7472-3	Neil Gaiman	Bloomsbury
Uncle Jack	2005 2005-473-10064-9	Kate de Goldi & Jacqui Colley	Trapeze Pub
Way Home	1994 0-09-948681-4	Libby Hawthorn & Gregory Rogers	Red Fox
Where the Wild Things are.	1963 0-09-940839-2	Maurice Sendak	Random House